Final answer:
The statement 'All monkeys have tails' is inaccurate as it does not account for the presence of apes, which are tailless primates. Ape species like gibbons and chimpanzees lack tails, differentiating them from monkey species that typically have tails, like spider monkeys and macaques. False.
Step-by-step explanation:
'All monkeys have tails' is an absolute statement that is not factually accurate. While most species of monkeys do have tails, there are distinct types of primates that do not. It's important to differentiate between monkeys and apes. False.
Monkeys can be divided into two major groups: New World monkeys and Old World monkeys. New World monkeys, like spider monkeys, are characterized by long prehensile tails used for grasping branches, but Old World monkeys such as macaques have tails that are not prehensile. In contrast to both, apes such as gibbons, orangutans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and humans do not have tails at all. For example, spider monkeys are arboreal mammals with prehensile tails and are part of the New World monkeys, highlighting the difference within the monkey category itself.
When considering the primate family tree, it's clear that the relation among primates can be complex. In relation to humans, chimpanzees are closer than rhesus monkeys, contradicting the idea that all monkeys are more closely related to us than apes are.